Sequence controlling apparatus

ABSTRACT

In a sequence controller supplying electrical signals in a sequence which can be adjusted, a mechanism comprising: a rotatable electrical conductor shaft connected to an electrical power source; a plurality of individually rotatable handwheels in side-by-side relation on said shaft; a conductor element secured to each handwheel from which a signal is supplied; an electrical signal distributor, associated with and contacting each conductor element, which is carried by said shaft to make contact with the associated conductor element one time for each revolution or partial revolution of the shaft; and friction holding means associated with the handwheels for holding one or more of them in a predetermined angular position.

United States Patent [111 3,5

7 Inventor Fr d ri k W. Armytage 2,756,293 7/ 1956 Bitler 200/8UX Foundry Lane, Knottingley, Yorkshire, 2,878,330 3/1959 Grashoffetal.... 200/8 E land 3,135,840 6/1964 Ausfeld 200/11(A) [21] Appl. No. 811,034 3,193,630 7/1965 Shlesinger, Jr. 200/8X [22] Filed Mar. 27, 1969 3,247,334 4/1966 Sebring 200/14 [45] pafellted 1971 Primary Examiner- Robert K. Schaefer [32] Pnomy 9 Assistant Examiner.l. R. Scott [33] Great Bmam Attorney-Abraham A. Saffitz [31 53,183/68 [54] if- APPARATUS ABSTRACT: In a sequence controller supplying electrical signals In a sequence which can be ad usted, a mechamsm [52] U.S. Cl 200/8, comprising; a rotatable electrical conductor h f connected 200/25 to an electrical power source; a plurality of individually rotata- Int. ble handwheels in ide-by side relation on said haft; a con- H01h21/76 ductor element secured to each handwheel from which a [50] Field of Search 200/8, 11 signal is Supplied; an electrical Signal distributor associated (A), 25 with and contacting each conductor element, which is carried by said shaft to make contact with the associated conductor [56] 7 References cued element one time for each revolution or partial revolution of UNITED STATES PATENTS the shaft; and friction holding means associated with the 2,686,286 8/1954 Owen 200/8X handwheels for holding one or more of them in a predeter- 23 3 19 1 1/1955 Sebring et a1. 200/25 mined angular position.

22 as ea 84 SEQUENCE CONTROLLING APPARATUS This invention relates to a sequence controlling apparatus for automatic machinery and plant equipment which requires signals at preselected instants during an operating cycle. Such machinery and plant equipment is at the present time'used in all branches of engineering and in many other instances. An industry in which the invention finds particular application is the moulding and forming industry, wherein numerous articles of varied material are formed and moulded on a repetition basis and by fully automatic machinery.

The present invention is concerned with apparatus for supplying electrical impulses or signals in sequence so that such impulses or signals can be used to control the sequence and operation of automatic machinery. The manner in which the signals are used is not of importance to the present invention and it will be appreciated that such signals can be used in numerous diverse manners, such as actuating solenoids, switching or initiating control circuits, starting electric motors and so on.

According to this invention,'a sequence controller for supplying a group of electrical impulses or signals in-a desired sequence comprises stationary electrical conductor means and rotatable electrical conductor means, one of said conductor means being in the form of a plurality of individual conductors which sequentially contact the other conductor means when the rotatable conductor means is rotated, said other conductor means being for connection to a source of electrical supply, the arrangement being such that when said rotatable conductor means is rotated a plurality of signals or impulses in the desired sequence is obtained from said individual conductors.

Preferably the rotatable conductor means includes a con ductive shaft with a plurality of contacts spaced therealong, and the stationary conductor means comprises a plurality of individual conductive collars surrounding the shaft and spaced therealong in register with the shaft contacts, each collar having a contact face which is engaged by a shaft contact once per revolution of the shaft and for a part of each such revolution.

The collars are preferably mounted for angular position adjustment about the axis of the shaft so as to vary the instant, in one cycle of rotation of the shaft, when the shaft contact meets the contact face.

Each collar may be connected to a handwheel to serve for the adjustment of such collar.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a sectional elevation of a sequence controller according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a sectional end view of the controller of FIG. 1 and the section is taken on the line 11-11 of FIG. 1.

I hand end of shaft in FIG. 1 is adapted to be connected to a drive connection which may possibly be a takeoff drive. Through reduction gearing if necessary, from the plant or equipment to be controlled by the controller so that the shaft 10 rotates in a fixed relationship with the machinery or plant.

Alternatively, the shaft 10 may be driven from a variable speed drive so that, the speed of such shaft 10 can be adjusted to suit the operation of the machinery or plant to be controlled.

. a plurality of radial bores 26 therein and slidably located in each'bore 26 is an electrical impulse or signaldistributor in trolled. This is important in relation to the form of a carbon brush 28 which is spring urged in a radially outwards direction by a spring 30. At the outer end of each brush 28 is a metal contact which may be in the form of a metal ball 32 from which the electrical supply is picked by one of a corresponding plurality of conductors of stationary conductor means, during each revolution of the shaft 10.

The stationary conductor means comprises in this example, a plurality of electrically conductive elements in the form of collars 34 which surround shaft 10 and are spaced therealong so that each collar 34 is in axial register with a contact ball 32 of shaft 10. Each collar 34 has associated therewith a handwheel 36 of insulating material having a split hub 38 on which the collar 34is located. The split of the hub 38 is occupied by a key 40 (FIG. 2) of the collar 34 and this key presents a contact face 42 which is contacted by the ball 32 during a part of each revolution of the shaft 10. There is a slight clearance between the shaft 10 and the bore of hub 38 to ensure that the only contact between shaft 10 and the bore of hub 38 is through ball 32.

Thus each time the ball 32 contacts face 42, there is electrical contact between the shaft and collar 34 and an output signal or impulse is obtained from a wire 44 electrically connected to collar 34. The keys 40 of the individual collars 34 are positioned at different angular positions relative to the shaft axis such that as the shaft rotates electrical impulses or signals are received in a desiredsequence and such impulses or signals are used to control the sequence of operation of machinery or plant.

In actual fact the wires 44 are not directly connected to collars 34 but are attached to electrically conductive support plates 46, each of which supports the collar and its handwheel 36 by hubv 38 in a bore therein. The support plates 46 are bolted to base frame 16 by bolts 48. The collars 34 are held in axial position in the bores of plates 46 by spring loaded balls 50 which are carried in plates 46 as shown and which engage in grooves 52 in the outer surfaces of the collars 34. These balls 50 also act as friction holding means to hold the handwheels in angularly adjusted position. a

The handwheels 36 may be adjusted to adjust the angularity of any contact face 42 relative to the axis of shaft 10. Indeed the adjustment is infinitely variable with a full 360 rotation.

In the drawings, insulating bushes and washers are indicated by the reference numeral 54.

Any number of shaft 10 can be coupled together and any one or more may have associated therewith any suitable number of collars 34 and handwheels. Said shafts may be driven from a common variable speed drive with any suitable speed ratio. 7

This method of programming sequential operations enables infinite adjustment of total time cycle coupled with infinite adjustment of relationship of each individual impulse or signal to another within the total time cycle, without stopping the continuity of operations of the machinery or plant being conglass, plastic and metal forming machines.

The input from the wire 20 can be fed in at any suitable point in contact with the center shaft and the output signal can be taken from any point in contact with the conductive support plate 46. 1

When two shafts 10 are used, these may be connected together by a central drive shaft and two pinions, the center pinion receiving drive from a suitable variable speed power unit. 1

lclaim:

1. A sequence controller for supplying a group of electrical signals in a sequence which can be adjusted, comprising: a rotatable electrical conductor shaft adapted for connection to a source of electrical power; a plurality of individually rotatable handwheels which are disposed side-by-side on said shaft which passes axially therethrough; a conductor element secured to each handwheel from which a signal is supplied; an electrical Signal distributor, associated with and contacting each conductor element, which is carried by said shaft to make contact with the associated conductor element once for each revolution or partial revolution of the shaft; and friction holding means associated with the handwheels for holding one or more of them in a predetermined angular position of adjustment to determine the sequence of signals supplied from the conductor elements to the output.

2. A sequence controller according to claim 1, wherein the conductor elements comprise collars secured to the handwheels and surrounding the shaft, said collars being spaced along the shaft in registry with the shaft distributors, each collar having a contact face which is engaged by a shaft distributor once per revolution of the shaft and for a part of a 4. A sequence controller according to claim 3, wherein the handwheels are formed with split hubs and the collars are mounted in said split hubs with the keys located in the splits in the hubs.

5. A sequence controller according to claim 1, wherein the friction holding means comprises, for each handwheel. a spring-loaded member urged into frictional engagement with the collar secured to the handwheel.

6. A sequence controller according to claim 1, wherein the shaft distributors are defined by a plurality of spring-loaded balls which are urged out of radial bores in the shaft. 7. A sequence controller according to claim 1, wherein there is a carbon brush spring-loaded into contact with the end of the shaft by which an electrical supply may be connected to said shaft. 

1. A sequence controller for supplying a group of electrical signals in a sequence which can be adjusted, comprising: a rotatable electrical conductor shaft adapted for connection to a source of electrical power; a plurality of individually rotatable handwheels which are disposed side-by-side on said shaft which passes axially therethrough; a conductor element secured to each handwheel from which a signal is supplied; an electrical signal distributor, associated with and contacting each conductor element, which is carried by said shaft to make contact with the associated conductor element once for each revolution or partial revolution of the shaft; and friction holding means associated with the handwheels for holding one or more of them in a predetermined angular position of adjustment to determine the sequence of signals supplied from the conductor elements to the output.
 2. A sequence controller according to claim 1, wherein the conductor elements comprise collars secured to the handwheels and surrounding the shaft, said collars being spaced along the shaft in registry with the shaft distributors, each collar having a contact face which is engaged by a shaft distributor once per revolution of the shaft and for a part of each such revolution.
 3. A sequence controller according to claim 2 wherein the collars each have a bore and the contact faces of the collars are defined by the end faces of keys on the bores of the collars.
 4. A sequence controller according to claim 3, wherein the handwheels are formed with split hubs and the collars are mounted in said split hubs with the keys located in the splits in the hubs.
 5. A sequence controller according to claim 1, wherein the friction holding means comprises, for each handwheel, a spring-loaded member urged into frictional engagement with the collar secured to the handwheel.
 6. A sequence controller according to claim 1, wherein the shaft distributors are defined by a plurality of spring-loaded balls which are urged out of radial bores in the shaft.
 7. A sequence controller according to claim 1, wherein there is a carbon brush spring-loaded into contact with the end of the shaft by which an electrical supply may be connected to said shaft. 